SweetieGames

Recently, I’ve been revisiting some classic games that I didn’t have the chance to play when they came out. I picked up Dragon Quest IV on the DS, and have been playing it in my original blue DSi; it’s been really fun to go back to a classic console from my childhood!

I did find that I had the same problem with DQ4 as I’ve had with many classic games; they can sometimes not be entirely clear on where to go or what you’re meant to be doing. Sometimes you have to track down the right NPC to give you a hint, but it may be someone completely random in the corner of town. I will admit that I have grown used to clear goals and paths being set out in games and that I may miss things because I don’t comb through thoroughly enough, but Dragon Quest IV has brought me back to how I used to play games. It has made me pay close attention to everything going on in the world around me.

But sometimes, I’m just outright lost! Especially if it’s been a while since I last played. This is why I looked up a guide online which I use sparingly to help me through the parts I am particularly struggling with, and I came across an absolute gem. A guide written by a fan on GameFAQs, going into meticulous detail about every town, every NPC, every shop and every secret! The best part about this guide, though, was not the level of detail but the amount of personality in the writing. I forgot that classic walkthroughs were written this way; by fans, for fans.

In the past, game guides existed on forums or personal blogs, and were written purely by passionate fans with nothing to gain but the appreciation of other gamers. Now, writing a walkthrough for a game can become your job, and staff writers are paid to write short guides for everything you can do in massive games like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Tears of the Kingdom. They’re helpful, sure, but I don’t feel the same personality coming from them. I miss old style guides!

In fan-made guides, I can feel the love for the game through each sentence. They know the game like the back of their hand and they’re keen to share that knowledge and excitement with you. While playing classic games, I’ve not felt alone because the guides truly feel like I am playing the game alongside someone else who is letting me in on secrets, the best strats and adding their personality and humour to the section of the game I’m playing. They’re not full of SEO buzzwords.

While newer guides from gaming giant websites will dominate search results, it doesn’t mean that fan-made guides are a completely lost craft. Games outside of the mainstream will still have guides and walkthroughs written by passionate fans, as these games won’t get the same level of clicks for big companies. I’ve seen walkthroughs for games on Twitter as well as on dedicated blogs, and they still have that same love and care that I want to see in a walkthrough. In fact, the Dragon Quest IV guide I’ve been using was completed as recently as 2023!

These documents must take hours to make and are definitely a labour of love, but it’s very much underappreciated in the gaming community. Just like any gaming article, a walkthrough should allow for the writer’s personality and knowledge to shine through.